RECOMMENDED

In the last decade, Emily Haines has lent her pop-friendly voice to Broken Social Scene and to her solo 2006 record, “Knives Don’t Have Your Back,” pumping up her profile to the point that it was easy to forget Metric, her initial project with fellow Broken Social Scenster James Shaw. The Canadian quartet’s last release, 2009′s “Fantasies,” reminded just how potent and reliable the group’s power pop was earlier in the decade, when it produced rough-around-the-edges new wave on 2003′s “Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?” The band has since embraced slick, studio-powered pop, where the fuzzy distortion and euphonic synthesizers better complement Haines’ appealing, breathy vocals. It’s not at all surprising that “Fantasies” lead single “Help I’m Alive” has made the jump to commercials and background music for sitcoms—Metric’s clean, sharp tone is precisely the kind of indie rock that deserves a chance to delight mainstream audiences. (Andy Seifert)

May 20 at Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield, (773)472-0449, at 7:30pm. $23.

RECOMMENDED

Liz Powell became a new addition to the Broken Social Scene family this year, bringing its count to 398 members, if I did my math right, and her band Land of Talk became a familiar name in the indie-rock scene when it released its debut full-length, “Some Are Lakes,” last October on Saddle Creek. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Powell has been playing music since she was fourteen, but it wasn’t until she met drummer Andrew Barr and bassist Chris McCarron at Montreal’s Concordia University that Land of Talk was born. (Joe Yarmush replaced McCarron when he amicably left to join fellow Montrealans The Dears. McCarron also didn’t perform on “Some Are Lakes,” though he did play on the previous EPs. The more you know.) Her female counterparts in BSS also have their own solo and/or band projects—Leslie Feist’s light-rock, Emily Haines somber piano work with the Soft Skeleton and synthy indie-rock with Metric, Amy Millan’s mellow alt-country/bluegrass while solo and indie-pop/rock with Stars and Lisa Lobsinger’s indie-pop with Reverie Sound Revue—but Powell’s Land of Talk is more of a straight-up guitar-rock band. “Some Are Lakes” is a pretty good record, highlights including the poppy rock of the title track and “Yuppy Flu” as well as the beautiful, mellow “It’s Okay” and “Troubled.” (Kelley Hecker)

December 12 at Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, (773)276-3300. 9:30pm. $8.

RECOMMENDED

Toronto post-rockers Do Make Say Think have been together for nearly fifteen years and never once have given a shit about throwing out a three-minute pop song in an attempt to grab the attention of the ADD-riddled masses. Instead, Ohad Benchetrit, Charles Spearin and co. have stuck to what they know and love: sprawling instrumentals incorporating everything from the usual guitar/drum/keyboard/bass combo to flute, saxophone, horns and violin. The octet is touring behind its sixth release, May’s “Other Truths,” a set of four lengthy tracks, each named after a verb from the band’s name. The members of DMST certainly have a hell of a lot going on, as half are part of the indie-rock super-group Broken Social Scene, which has like 397 members, not to mention various side projects of their own. In addition to “Other Truths,” Spearin and Benchetrit each released self-titled debut solo albums this year, “The Happiness Project” and “Years,” respectively, and both are doing double duty on this trek. If experimental instrumental rock is your thing, these are the bands you need to be listening to. (Kelley Hecker)

December 4 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, (773)525-2508. 10pm. $15. December 5 at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln, (773)525-2501. 10pm. $15.

RECOMMENDED

Ohad Benchetrit’s instrumental solo project, simply titled Years, is an exploration of acoustic-guitar compositions matched with IDM softness, an ambient, mood-setting affair that’s gentle, melancholy and sweetly pleasing. The self-titled record released earlier this year has plenty of bedroom-studio tricks and precious transitions to indicate that this is, above all, a side project, and eyebrow-raising song titles like “Are You Unloved,” “Don’t Let the Blind Go Deaf” and “Hey Cancer…Fuck You!” don’t exactly show Benchetrit at his most serious. That said, the Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene multi-instrumentalist has carefully crafted a rewarding record of blips and beeps that somehow doesn’t seem overly distant or detached like most IDM. The songs are short, but the arrangements boom and intersect with precision. (Tom Lynch)

December 4 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, (773)525-2508, at 10pm, and December 5 at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln, (773)525-2508, at 10pm.

RECOMMENDED

Montreal’s Amy Millan has been releasing a steady stream of records with indie-poppers Stars since 2001, but before that, Millan was a member of the roots-rock band 16 Tons. It was then she wrote the majority of the songs that appeared on her solo debut, the country-folk “Honey From the Tombs,” released in 2006. With Stars taking a break after touring relentlessly behind their 2007 full-length “In Our Bedroom After the War” and 2008 EP “Sad Robots,” Millan made her way to the Ontario woods in December to begin work on her sophomore album, the quaint “Masters of the Burial,” released last month. Four of the eleven tracks are covers—including a sleepy bluegrass take on Death Cab for Cutie’s “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”—but all are lovely. Millan says the record is “the sound of someone climbing into bed”—it may not be a high-energy affair, but it sure as hell will be a beautiful and intimate one. (Kelley Hecker)

October 16 at Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, (773)276-3600. 10pm. $12.

RECOMMENDED

I’ve always had a bit of a sweet spot for Canadians The Most Serene Republic, fully aware that the uppity, glitchy electro-indie-pop often leads to so many new directions crammed into one song that it completely defeats itself. That and the fact that uppity electro-indie-pop can be really annoying. This band has a handful of charming releases, its newest being “…And the Ever Expanding Universe,” which doesn’t add too much to the discussion but is lovely enough. “No One Likes a Nihilist,” the album’s closer, could be the best song the band’s put together so far, a Broken Social Scene-like beauty with a solid indie-rock groove and alternating boy-girl vocals. I’ve never seen this band live, but I have a feeling it might be a huge mess. With all these elements, it’s a recipe for a landslide of muddled noise. Most acts I’ve encountered that are this reliable on electronics are better left on record. However, this band’s penchant for penning the unexpected melodic turn could make for an amazing live show just the same. (Tom Lynch)

September 10 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, (773)525-2508, at 9pm. $10-$12.

By Tom Lynch

“Does this mean I can leave early?”

That’s the question I’ve heard most from friends and acquaintances attending Lollapalooza this year as they look over the three-day schedule. That’s because Chicago’s Lollapalooza, in its fifth incarnation since the Grant Park debut in the summer of 2005, hasn’t had a weaker lineup.

Anybody want to disagree? Looking back at previous years, it makes this weekend’s festival seem even thinner. Read the rest of this entry »

Trio in Stereo isn’t a trio at all. The core group is a quintet. But then if people who contribute to the group’s recordings and who occasionally join them for performances were included, the trombonist, the trumpeter, the cellist, the violist and the additional singers, the band’s roster easily exceeds ten people.

The group formed six years ago in Bloomington, Indiana, where all of the five full-time members went to college at Indiana University, studying subjects such as ethnomusicology, classical guitar and classical piano, giving the band a wide array of influences to draw from in addition to current, popular music. Read the rest of this entry »

The University of Chicago gets a jump-start on music-festival season with its annual Summer Breeze event on May 16. The university’s radio station, WHPK 88.5 FM, has chosen an eclectic lineup this year, including Thomas Function, Cause Co-Motion, Johnny and the Limelites, White Mystery and The Names that Spell. “We just look for interesting bands that we play on the radio station,” says WHPK’s Katie Buitrago. “We want to expose people to something that they might be hearing more of in the future.” The event will also host heavy hitters like Santogold and Broken Social Scene, courtesy of the university’s Major Activities Board. Over the years, Summer Breeze has morphed from an end-of-the-year tradition for U of C students into a full-on festival that attracts music lovers from the South Side and beyond. “People come from all over the city,” Buitrago says. “It exposes people to music that they might not see otherwise.” 

RECOMMENDED

Does anyone else find it peculiar that the two most prominent indie-rock supergroups (Broken Social Scene, New Pornographers) are both exclusively Canadian? What the hell, America—are the Raconteurs the best we can do? Anyway, the pride of Toronto, Broken Social Scene, continue its “Broken Social Scene Presents…” series with co-founder Brendan Canning’s solo debut “Something For All of Us…,” a consistently pleasant collection of baroque pop tunes that establishes Canning as the steady foil to Kevin Drew’s sloshed and cocky frontman persona. “Something” never strives to blow you away, but dense production and precise, intricate arrangements reward repeat listens better than Drew’s “Spirit If…” did. Ultimately, it’s the perfect album for chilling on a beanbag, cozying up with a delicious Labatt Blue and pondering whether or not indie supergroups should combine to form musical Justice Leagues. (Andy Seifert)

October 9 at Metro, 3730 N. Clark, (773)549-0203